New Capitol space nearly ready for occupancy

Renovations to Tower Hall, a section of the fifth floor of the state Capitol between the Senate and Assembly staircases, are nearly complete.

The opening of the new space, which will house the Legislative Bill Drafting Committee, follows the January unveiling the an elaborate glass ceiling that flooded the Assembly staircase in light. The projects, along with continuing work on the staircase on the Senate side, constitute the fourth and final phase of renovations to the Capitol that began more than a decade ago.

In a process that Heather Groll, spokesperson for the Office of Government Services, calls “forensic architecture,” contractors have used remnants of the original construction — photographs, tile samples, and ornate granite stonework concealed by the concrete walls of past renovations — to create a new space that blends modern features with old-world detail.

Craftsmen went to additional lengths to preserve usable space that was eliminated by the removal of the drop ceiling above the Assembly staircase and the relocation of building machinery. The roof above Tower Hall was raised 15 feet to accommodate a mezzanine, suspended from the granite ceiling by steel rods, to create more real estate for the new occupants.

Jim Davies, deputy commissioner of design and construction for OGS, expressed optimism that work on the Senate side would meet and perhaps even exceed the ambitious schedule put forth last year by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Davies said the project will draw to a close in October, two years ahead of the initial schedule.

Most of this section of the fifth floor is now open to the public — and the Assembly elevator is once again going all the way to that level. Those seeking exercise can use the stairway from the fourth floor at the top of the Assembly staircase.